Charles Kakamwa
19 November 2008
Kampala — THE Government is to include the teaching of vocational subjects in all education programmes, the education minister has said.
Addressing celebrants at the 11th graduation ceremony of Tubalera Kawuma Vocational Training Centre in Jinja last week, Namirembe Bitamazire said vocational studies would enable students to acquire practical skills.
"Some people think that vocational education is only for school dropouts, people with disabilities and orphans. It is going to include the brightest children and not only marginalised groups," she said
"This kind of training is in line with the President's campaign for value-addition and enables people to acquire skills so as to live productive lives. Each person will acquire practical skills before coming out of an education institution," she added.
Bitamazire said the Government was emphasising skill training in education. "That is when our people will be able to fully exploit their potential and gain from the growth we have attained."
She urged the graduands to use the skills they had acquired to start income-generating projects.
Harriet Kawuma, the school proprietor, said it was started in 1997 to empower marginalised people such as orphans, the disabled, school dropouts and single mothers with skills to enable them become self-reliant.
"The causes of school dropouts are many, but the most salient ones are poverty, early marriages and unplanned pregnancies, which render the girl child helpless and eventually drop out of school," Kawuma said.
She called upon the education ministry to support the school to construct an administration block, computer training facilities, water tanks and sponsor students with disabilities, as well as vulnerable girls.
A total of 40 graduands were awarded certificates in tailoring, catering and nursery teaching.
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